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2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York

16 Colleges in New York
1,658 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,985 Avg Early-Career Salary
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #13 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 16 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,658 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Parks & Rec Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in New York

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.

10 Top New York Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec

1
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
235 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Syracuse University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Syracuse University

2
SUNY Cortland crest
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
259 Annual Graduates

SUNY Cortland is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Cortland.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland

3
Canisius crest
Canisius College
Buffalo, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

Canisius College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Canisius College

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into The College at Brockport. SUNY Brockport is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Brockport.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The College at Brockport

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Annual Graduates

Manhattanville is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Purchase.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Manhattanville College

6
Adelphi crest
Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Garden City, Adelphi is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adelphi University

7
SUNY Oneonta crest
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, NY
69 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Oneonta, SUNY Oneonta is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Oneonta

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Annual Graduates

STJ is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Queens.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St John’s University - New York

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Rochester, Fisher is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St. John Fisher College

10
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

Brooklyn College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Brooklyn College

Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 37 2,046
New Jersey 34 854
Maryland 33 760
Delaware 30 313
District of Columbia 28 106

View All Rankings >

Parks & Rec Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Health & Physical Education 1,559
Parks, Recreation & Leisure Studies 51
Recreation Administration 42
Outdoor Education 6

Majors Similar to Parks & Rec

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 2,166

Notes and References

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